Generally a large shrub, this paperbark has oval leaves
about ½ inch long and is distinguished by rather large red bottlebrushes.
Campus specimens on Mirada Avenue at its junction with Gerona Road have disappeared
in recent years. The Greek melas = black and leukos = white
refer to a black-and-white appearance that results when dark bark peels to reveal
fresh white patches. Incidentally, you can often interpret Greek stems without
a Greek lexicon—in this example, just look up the words beginning with leuco-
and mela- in your English dictionary. Quiz: what do Cryptomeria,
Eriobotrya, and Lithocarpusderive from?